Northbank

SquareMeal Review of
Northbank

Crowned by a “gem” of a terrace, Northbank serves up a panorama of London that reflects modern-day developments, the Tate Modern, Millennium Bridge and all. Mind you, the view is equally appealing inside, where booth seating and dressed-up tables provide the backdrop for a contemporary menu that makes much of its Cornish connections. The county’s award-winning Yarg cheese appears in a tart flavoured with saffron, and there’s a terrine of rabbit and foie gras, pointed up with raw fennel and vermouth cream. Maritime hotspots such as Falmouth Bay and Helford provide much of the seafood on offer (monkish in a Thai green curry, say), while Devon Red beef is a cross-border interloper (try the deliciously tender brisket in a clear parsley broth). Desserts such as hot fudge sundae also hit the spot. A selection of mead cocktails hammers home the Cornish theme, and “it’s all in the best possible taste”.

Had lunch the Thursday before Christmas, the staff were very friendly and attentive, we both had fish of the day which was halibut and very tasty, the puddings were also great quality - the service was fast but not too fast so ideal for a client lunch and great views over the Thames.

I have visited this restaurant many times previously and was impressed by the food. On my last visit I was very disappointed with the food being presented to me. I had prebooked and read the online menus before attending. On their website it states there is a choice of the a la carte menu, a set menu and two Christmas set menus. When asked for the menus I was told that I could only order from the a la carte menu and if I wanted the set menu I needed to have pre ordered this. I was not advised this when I prebooked. I ordered the crab tian for starters,, the cod and cannelon for main course, and the cheeseboard for dessert. On arrival I also had an irish coffee. All three courses were served cold and tasted very bland, even the coffee was cold. The fish is extremely salty and there was absolutely no taste to the veg, they all tasted the same. As for the cheeseboard the fruit bread is served toasted and tasted burnt and the crackers were so bland they tasted like thin cardboard. My partner ordered the duck salad which was not bad but she wouldn't have it again, the fish of the day for main course which was served whole and just placed on a plate with no topping or some sort of decoration and was full of black stuff as it was not cleaned and for dessert she had the blueberry pavlova with peanut butter milkshake (overly sweet & sickly). We also shared two side dishes of kale & almond salad (bland and tasteless), and the herb mash which again tasted bland with no hint of herbs and seemed to have been overly pureed and tasted like something you would give a baby. I also find it odd that even though I was sat directly opposite the kitchen there was no smell of food being cooked from the kitchen and fresh flavours being used. I would advise you not to waste your money and possibly try a much better restaurant on the other side of the river which myself I will be doing next time.

My pet hate with restaurants (besides the obvious bad food and bad service...) is a restaurant that doesn't know what it wants to be. Northbank has literally no clue.
The menu is very confused. Some dishes suggest a restaurant aiming to be fine dining and others suggest pub grub. I mixed and match to see what worked. Starter was a Lobster ravioli in a broth which was reasonably good in terms of both taste and presentation. However, my main, a simple chicken pie was really underwhelming - not much filling or flavour with a slightly undercooked pastry. Dessert was decent enough - a simple chocolate torte but with black pepper ice cream which I really liked. My boyfriend fared a little worse - his fish was undercooked and his starter of beef and chorizo meatballs contained no chorizo. On a plus side the wine list is very good and reasonably priced.
The service was really quite disappointing. The staff are dressed like hotel silver service staff and they act like it too - no hint of warmth or interest in delivering good service, they just seemed to want to get the job done. We seemed to be served by several different people but often were waiting to have our glasses topped up or it took half an hour to get a coffee.
The restaurant itself is lovely and looks over the Thames but this wouldn't be enough to convince me to return unless they totally overhauled the menu and addressed the staffing issues.

I was given the opportunity by squaremeal to write a blog post about Northbank. The prize included a cocktail on arrival, 6 course tasting menu and paired wines.
Northbank opened in 2007 and offer modern Cornish influenced British cuisine. Ingredients are sourced from Falmouth and surrounding areas of Cornwall. And the daily delivered fresh fish is sourced off the Cornish coast.
Northbank is located near the Millennium bridge. I had walked from Victoria so was quite parched and welcomed my recommended cocktail of the week, an Amaretto Salisa. My husband had a Pear of the Caribbean. Both cocktails were absolutely delicious, they were so good they were gone in less than 60 seconds! Priced at £8.50 I think that's very good value for such a great tasting drink.
We were seated at a romantic table for two at the window. Northbank have a prime riverside location. From our table we had a great view of the South Bank, Shakespeare's Globe, Tate Modern, The Shard and Millennium Bridge. This side of the river definitely has the better view.
I adore the wallpaper here, it's a modern twist on the willow pattern (the old fashioned blue and white painted porcelain). The print is on the menu too. The green images remind me of the lyrics to Lily Allen's song LDN.
We were given bread and an amuse bouche of carrot, honey and ginger soup. The bread was freshly baked and so lovely and warm.
First course of the tasting menu was Devon red beef carpaccio with red wine braised octopus and sweet baby onions
Traditionally carpaccio is thinly sliced raw meat. This was a generous chunk. The braised octopus was beautifully soft and served as a whole tentacle. I love the way you can see each little sucker. Baby onions were spot on. It was a great modern twist on a surf and turf.
Second course Pan fried Seabass with cockles, clams and seaweed crumb.
The skin on the fish was incredible, perfectly crispy and crunchy I almost thought I was eating chicken skin. It was amazing! Seabass is one of my favourite fish as it's not overly fishy. The addition of the cockles gave it the fishy kick, I must admit I sneaked these onto my husband's plate as I'm still a bit fussy with seafood.
Next up Confit rabbit, foie gras and chorizo terrine with fennel salad and vermouth cream.
The terrine had a very meaty texture so the cream on the side made the texture smoother. The foie gras was quite subtle but the chorizo had a lovely tingly heat. This was a really good dish, it's nice to see rabbit on a menu as its such a great ingredient but not seen that often.
Next course was the Cornish catch of the day! Consisting of Sea trout and crab gnocchi.
The fish again had a perfectly crispy skin. The gnocchi was delicious. The crab gave it such a lovely sweetness. Definitely a highlight of the meal.
Roasted guinea fowl with smoked bacon, gem lettuce and broad beans was the next course.
This dish tasted great and looked fantastic. The pink bacon and green lettuce look so good together on a plate. This was a great combination of flavours, colours and textures.
Next desserts, there were two to choose from so we ordered one each.
I had the Bakewell soufflé with cherry sorbet, hubby had the Perry jelly with summer fruits and elderflower ice cream.
Perfect soufflé and a gorgeously cherrytastic sorbet. I loved this dessert. And after all that food it worked well as it was light and fresh. The jelly dessert was lovely too especially the accompanying ice cream.
My husband and I declined coffee as we had a train to catch from Blackfriars, which is conveniently a five minute walk away.
Our Northbank experience was fantastic. The staff are all so happy and enthusiastic which is reflected in the attentive service. Each of our courses was matched perfectly with wine. A wine paring is not offered with the tasting menu but can be arranged on request. I always go for this option as its a great way to try out new wines. The location is amazing, riverside in the city, what more could you ask for? On the opposite side of the river are the generic chain restaurants, I almost wanted to shout to their customers to cross the bridge for some decent food!
Our tasting menu was priced at £55 per person. This is incredible value and the portions are huge compared to most tasting menus.
I can't recommend Northbank enough. Good value, great location, amazing food and attentive service. My husband and I were made to feel like VIPs.
Thank you to Square Meal and Northbank for the complimentary meal, this has no reflection on my option of the restaurant

We enjoyed a business dinner here midweek. The food was good and the service attentive. The view of the other bank as the sun went down was brilliant although from some locations this would be restricted. It's not easy to find the first time and Paul's Walk outside does smell as though many rough sleepers have used it over the years. We didn't feel especially inspired by the description of the starters but the small choice of mains was fine and the desserts all sounded tempting with the bakewell tart with cherry custard a big winner. We booked a Square Meal deal and everything on the a la carte menu was 50% off hence the score on value for money. I was contemplating booking again for the following Sunday afternoon (sunny weather promised) but was disappointed to learn that Northbank is closed on Sundays.

We visited on a Friday evening and the place was semi-empty, but still had a nice warm feeling about it.
The atmosphere suits a date or nice dinner if you live nearby. The service was great, waiters were attentive and helpful.
The food was really good. Good portion size, creative, they use a lot of seasonal food and the menu had a lot of variety in it. I would particularly recommend pig cheeks from the starter section, melt in the mouth with a lot of flavour! And the venison from the mains, again, cooked perfectly, with a side of beetroot which matches the meat really well.

It's the sweeping views over the Thames which make this “modern British” eatery worth a visit. Floor to ceiling windows maximise the restaurant's location and the comfy furniture allows you to sit back and enjoy the river panorama. The food is Cornish inspired and tasty; prices were tolerable. A notch above “comfort food” I thought. Service was attentive. There is a large bar area and external terrace as well. A word to the wise: check the directions carefully when you set out for it – our mini cab driver armed with tom-tom had to give up in the end!

First time visit with good clients. A good start on the Terrace, the perfect surrounds on a warm day. Extra effort had been made to get there early in order to secure an outside table as for some reason they will not reserve them even on the day in question.
Requested the coldest of beer (clients being Aussie) and received half pint of draught at near room temperature. Aussies not impressed. Moved onto wine list and picked excellent Albarino as suggested on menu and at least I was content, if not a little worried for said Aussies.
2nd round of beers requested for Aussies and with it a very specific request for something colder. Again it arrived at slightly lower than room temp. The day was 29 degrees! I admitted defeat and requested the clients try the wine.
Whole dressed crab was a meagre baby one, but the gazpacho and crab salad seemed to please the clients, as did the mackerel my colleague. The white wine pleased too, but the first bottle of Savigny le Beaune did not (not corked, but oxidised, thin and sour). Sent it back for a couple of bottles of excellent Pommard.
Steaks arrived and all cooked to order, though the staff didn't seem to know which one was which and who'd ordered what – a tad odd for a table of only 4. Once worked out, sides arrived which were good. Steaks cooked well but only a little above average in quality – to put it in perspective, we are within shooting distance of Hawksmoor/Quality Chop House/Goodman etc. so perhaps w're getting a little spoilt.
A single cheese plate to share with the last drop of red, all West Country fare and decent. Finally the bill paid and off we went full and happy. Given heated discussion at lunch's end, I failed to look at the bill and only realised the morning after I had been overcharged (one extra bottle of white wine and also for the red burgundy I had sent back).
At just under £100 of overcharging, it only exacerbated the feeling that a proper kitchen is being undermined by an attack on overheads and poor staff training. Unfortunately unless redress is offered as has been requested, this one will not be revisited, and should they replicate the same practices on others, they will be destined to survive only on the footfall of hapless tourists meandering over the bridge from the Tate Modern. I believe caveat emptor is the appropriate term required here…
Happily since writing the above, a full rebate inc service for the added on items credited to my card over the phone illustrates a willingness to get it right and all is forgiven. I will certainly give it another go based on the efforts of management.

We have been trying to go to Northbank for some time so were excited to be there on a hot Saturday evening. We arrived for an early dinner and had a seat on the terrace. There were no other guests at the time of our arrival. The terrace would have been delightful had someone bothered to sweep up the cigarette ends and general crud. It was more like sitting in a scruffy pub than a top end restaurant. Our food: two starters OK the third, a souffle, was tasteless and like rubber.
Mains were the real horror show. The skate wing butter sauce was burnt nearly black. when this was pointed out the staff brought a plate to the table removed the fish and gave the dish back to the diner. The chicken in the pie looked suspiciously like another animal. It was inedible. when this was mentioned the plate was just removed. no comment or apology even though we asked for the chief to be alerted. Both dishes appeared on the bill and only one was removed when we complained further.
The staff were nice but not really trained and didn't know what to do. They kept saying they would bring the manager who never made it to our table.
We won't be hurrying back.

Small and intimate the semi-private room at Northbank is separated from the main restaurant by attractive drapes, that offer the benefit of separation without completely killing the restaurant atmosphere. In summer, sliding doors open onto an outside space and the full expanse of the Thames and views towards Tate Modern can be enjoyed. No minimum spend, just a small deposit for groups of 20 or more.